WNBA rookie makes emotional A'ja Wilson statement on All-Star Weekend

A'ja Wilson is a star among stars in the WNBA. A three-time MVP and a two-time league champion with the Las Vegas Aces, Wilson is often regarded as one of the best players in the world -- and at 28 years old, her impact on the game of basketball can already be considered generational.

Connecticut Sun rookie guard Saniya Rivers is in Indianapolis for WNBA All-Star Weekend, when Wilson will participate in her seventh All-Star game on Saturday night. Rivers spoke to the WNBA's social media channels about Wilson's impact on her personally, which began when Rivers committed to the University of South Carolina -- Wilson's alma mater.

“I’ve known her since South Carolina, I don’t know if she knew me but I’ve known her for a minute,” Rivers said. “She’s always someone I’ve gravitated to because she’s just someone young girls looked up to."

MORE: Aces' A'ja Wilson no longer considered WNBA's best player
 

The May release of Wilson's Nike signature shoe, the A'One, was complemented by an acclaimed advertisement that placed a spotlight on Wilson's wide-ranging impact on and off the hardwood. The "One of a Kind" ad dropped less than two weeks before the Aces faced the Sun in Connecticut on May 20, which marked Rivers' WNBA debut.

“In my debut game, we played the Aces and she caught the ball on the post and it was a switch," Rivers recalled about facing Wilson for the first time. "I never took a charge in my life, but I was pre-determined I was going to take a charge because I didn’t want her to dunk on me."

What Wilson did next though surprised Rivers, who had completed her college career at North Carolina State before joining the Sun as the eighth overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

“She passed (the ball) out and she was smiling so she knew, but she was talking to me on the free throw line a few possessions after and told me she’s proud of me and to keep going and doing what I was doing," Rivers said.

With only 156 roster spots available in the WNBA, making the jump to the league from the NCAA is not always easy. And Wilson's gesture, though small on paper, meant the world to Rivers. 

“So much love to A’ja, she’s just a great person and I’m proud of what she’s accomplished," she said.

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